Do you have a dog with dementia?

Our dog,Buster ,14,has been diagnosed with dementia.He paces for long periods of time,stares into space,finds it impossible to lie on any of the dog beds,or even on the couch,where he used to love to snuggle up to me, behaving as if hes forgotten how to fix his legs into the right position He doesnt respond to affection like he did ,or play with his many toys.He wakes very early ,anywhere from 5 a.m. and wont settle till 1 of us gets up with him. .He was prescribed Vivitonin,which didnt seem to have any effect.I had read about Activait and have corresponded with a few Dogsey members whose dogs take this.If you have have any experience of a dog with dementia or have ever used Activait for your dog,would love to hear from you.
Apart from these changes in behaviour , he loves his walks,is eating well and still wags his tail when he sees us.We lost our other dog 2 weeks today(heartbroken) and want to do the very best we can for Buster-His symptoms seem fairly mild,compared with some of the stories Ive read If he ever got in the state of some of the dogs in those stories who were obviously extremely distressed,I dont think it would be fair on him,no matter how hard it would be on us to let him go .from Maureen

I'm sorry I have no experience but just want to send my good wishes and a (((hug))).

Sorry to hear about Buster

I haven't had a dog with dementia but I've looked after several & I know a bit about how it effects cats & there's a lot of similarities.

The symptoms you describe are the same for cats ~ body clock goes awry, & sleep/wake cycles get disturbed, getting "lost" in familiar places, failing to recognise people. It can be sad to see but don't despair, there's lots you can do to help Buster

Try to keep to a constant routine & be as "normal" as possible. If Buster seems to staring into space, you can gently call him or get his attention, but without startling him. The pacing is a hard one as sometimes when you stop them or restrain them, it seems to cause more stress. I found that putting soft large cushions, big enough for the dog to stretch out on, in the way of the route can help. Sometimes they end up settling on one

The anecdotal evidence on Activait is very positive ~ have a google if you haven't already & chat it through with your vet ~ probably worth a try.

Usually with dementia, short term memory goes first, but often long-term, well-ingrained memories last longer. So perhaps think how this could be used to imrove Buster's quality of life? Were there certain games he played in his younger days, e.g. chasing a ball, but then adapt this to rolling the ball towards him? Were there certain "tricks" he was taught ~ can these be adapted so he can manage them, or small approximations of? Does he like travelling in the car ~ take him for a drive? In other words just do as many of the things you can that enjoys

But maybe the best you can do is be there for him, be patient & understanding, accept his little "quirks", & enjoy the time you have together

Thanks for your replies an advice-We had to take 1 of the cats to the vet today and got Activait to try for Buster-had researched it and as you said there were lots of positive results reported.
Ive tried with him to keep things normal and give him the same routine.Ive also tried to engage him with his toys-he would always go and get a toy and bring it to anyone who came in through the front door,sometimes tipping his toy basket up and rooting round to find the one he really wanted. His toy basket had been put upstairs while we decorated just before Christmas ,so I got it down and gave him 1 of his favourites - a snowman which hed had since he was a puppy,but I was really sad that he was scared of it and backed away .We just need to watch him more and to be very patient with him,which we always have been,since he came to us as a very nervous puppy.He sometimes now will go out in the garden and wander round for a bit ,before he seems to realise that he wanted a wee.The only good thing in this is that he is not crying for Lulu who died 2 weeks ago-he doted on her and howled like a wolf when she wasnt there .Now he doesnt even realise shes gone.

I know we've PM'd about this but will post here for the benefit of others.

My dog was also pacing - and crying, staring at the sofa (no-one and nothing on it), and all sorts of strange behaviours. She is nearly 11 and the onset of all this, a few days before xmas, was sudden.

The vet prescribed Aktivait, explaining it is a food supplement as opposed to a drug, and to be honest, I held out little hope.

She said it takes 3 week, a month or more to kick in.

But within days we had a dramatic improvement. Really dramatic.

Our little girl is almost back to her old self - recognises us, wags her tail again, etc etc. She still sleeps most of the day but no longer is displaying those behaviours my vet called 'a central nervous thing'! The staring at the empty sofa, and crying really distressed us as she is a non vocal to the point of silent dog normally (bull terrier).

I'm not sure how long this will last but right now it's buying her some quality time and even if we just got a few months before she deteriorates again, that would be a positive result.

I'm aware not all dogs respond to it at all and many who do, won't be so dramatic. But right now, it's making a huge difference. Our vet said they'd had success with it on quite a few dogs.

Thanks for that,Bullseyes Tail.Buster has only been on Activait since Saturday,no changes much yet,except he seems to be pacing less.Will keep you informed .Have been up since 5.a.m -O.H. went to stay at our daughters to mind her staffie and Buster made a big fuss of him when he came back-he still recognises the car too.Hope alls well with you .Will P.M. you soon to catch up,love from Maureen

Maureen, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works for Buster. Even small improvements can be huge for the oldie dogs, though, eh?

Hi just writing to say I know what your going through we had to have our 16 yr old Jack Russell pts last July needless to say I sobbed my heart out & still find it tough to talk about in the end he was incontinent it seemed to hit him like a runaway truck hard & fast,but he also had a suspected brain tumour in the end he was skin & bone he would eat like a horse but the weight kept falling off make the most of the time you have left cherish every minute, in the end with my old boy he came back to me briefly we had a cuddle whilst they gave him the injection it was so quick & then he was gone, hope the new drug works good luck.

We tried vivitonin it worked but my old boy couldn't stomach the strong dosage

My late dog Jessica was demonstrating signs of dementia from the age of 12 and not long after the passing of her playmate Jacob. My fabulous vet prescribed Acktivait, and as a conscientious owner I reserched all the facts on this before giving it to Jessica. Within 2 weeks on this medication Jessica was considerably better, the day time pacing was gone and the night time pacing dramatically reduced. She was less irritable, much more alert, confident and active. I would certainly give it a good try. My girl took this medication for 3.5 years, and allthough she went on to have diabetes and lose her sight, her dementia was well managed and she had a fabulous quality of life. There is some good reserch by a vet call Pip Boydell on the internet -maybe worth a read. Good luck.

Sadly we lost our lovely Buster on October 19th last year.

He began to lose his fur,lose weight and in the end the light went from his eyes.It broke my heart.

Our lovely vet came to the house and I held him and told he how much we loved him as she gave him his last needle.
I had stuck a photo of him and Lulu on the T.V so that was what the last thing he saw.
They had grown up here together from 12 weeks of age-both from the Rescue I worked for.

I miss him and Lulu so much and for the first time we have no dog here in 42 yrs-only our 2 cats

Maureen